Researchers at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, have developed a megalibrary platform that enables the rapid, intentional engineering of new materials with specific properties, such as piezoelectricity, by using high-throughput screening and AI-ready datasets to accelerate discovery from years to hours.
Ultrathin nanotubes reach 1 nanometer, opening path to smaller electronics
Researchers at the University of Tokyo, Japan, have synthesized highly uniform semiconducting nanotubes just 1 nanometer wide by growing molybdenum disulfide inside protective boron nitride tubes, validating decades-old theoretical predictions and offering a new path for miniaturized electronic devices.
AI speeds selective and high-yield recovery of critical minerals from industrial waste
A research team at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash., has deployed AI agents with the potential to accelerate the recovery of critical minerals from real-world industrial waste in days instead of the months or years required for manual experimentation.






